It is known that plastics films are used for many applications, and that the use of plastics films as packaging material makes up a considerable proportion thereof. In the hygiene sector in particular there is also an increasing trend toward packing of hygiene items for single use, because hygiene items such as panty liners or sanitary napkins, and also incontinence items, are increasingly individually packed. Therefore, there is also an accelerating increase in requirement for corresponding packaging material. Because this packaging material has little capability for recycling and therefore cannot be reused, attempts are increasingly being made to minimize use of fossil resources for these packaging materials. The intention is therefore that the production of corresponding plastics films as packaging material uses the smallest possible quantity of polymers obtained from fossil feed resources, while avoiding any reduction of the indispensable quality requirements of such plastics films, in particular of their mechanical properties and other necessary physical properties.
It is obvious for saving polymer material during the production of plastics films to reduce the total thickness of these multilayer plastics films. However, since this is usually associated with impairment, sometimes drastic impairment, of the mechanical properties of these plastics films, for example of the tensile strength, the tear-propagation resistance and sometimes also the puncture resistance, the handling of the plastics films during the further processing to give the final product becomes more difficult and can cause production problems. This method of saving material is therefore associated with considerable risks. In addition, difficulties can also occur during the application of a release coating or of an adhesive on the plastics films with total thickness 20 μm, mostly because they have inadequate thermal stability.